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Kouang-Tchéou-Wan and Shamian Island (A better world TL)
History Pre-1914 Guangzhouwan (officially Kouang-Tchéou-Wan; also spelled Kwangchow Wan, Kwangchow-wan, Kwang-Chou-Wan or Quang-Tchéou-Wan) (Chinese: 廣州灣; literally: "Guangzhou Bay") was a small enclave on the southern coast of China ceded by Qing China to France as a leased territory and administered as an outlier of French Indochina. The bay forms the estuary of the Maxie River (Chinese: Maxie He, French: Rivière Ma-The). The Maxie is navigable as far as 19 kilometres (12 mi) inland even by large warships. The territory ceded to France included the islands lying in the bay, which enclosed an area 29 km long by 10 km wide and a minimum water depth of 10 metres. The islands were recognized at the time as an admirable natural defense, the main islands being Donghai Dao. The limits of the concession inland were fixed in November 1899; on the left bank of the Maxie, France gained from Gaozhou prefecture (Kow Chow Fu) a strip of territory 18 km by 10 km, and on the right bank a strip 24 km by 18 km from Leizhou prefecture (Lei Chow Fu). The total land area of the leased territory was 1,300 square kilometres (500 sq mi). The city of Fort-Bayard (Zhanjiang) was developed as a port between 1900 and 1950. Kwangchow Wan was leased by China to France for 99 years, or until 1997. A 1996 referendum 98.95% of the population would turn down merger China and so China agreed it could stay French subject to a referendum in 2035, 2055 and 2075. Shamian (also romanized as Shameen or Shamin, both from its Cantonese pronunciation) is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. The island's name literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese. The territory was divided into two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom by the Qing government in the 19th century. The island covers an area of 0.3 km², 900 m from east to west, and 300 m from north to south. It is bordered in the south by the Pearl River, and it is separated from the mainland by a canal. The Anti-Serbia War (1914-1918) It stayed neutral as did France. A 100 strong French garrison force arrived in 1914 and stayed there ever since. The inter-war years The main industries then included fishing, shipping and coal mining. The Great Depression (1929-1940) The econamy fell sharply between 1929 and 1932 as trade dryed up. The Great East Asia War (1931-1946) Japanese occupied Kwangchow Wan from late 1941 to early 1946. Kamontaung Chinese, Free French, American and NSW forces liberated the colony in the March of 1946. Home rule was granted later that year. The Anti-Hitlerian War (1939-1946) It came under Vichy French control in 1940, but Japan occupied Kwangchow Wan from late 1941. Cold War A 900 strong French garrison force arrived in 1952 and stayed there ever since. Storm defences were upgraded heavly in 1968 after being hit by 5 typhoons in 1967. 1990s Several TV, radio, video, footwear, stuffed toys and calculator factories opened in the 1990s. Building fishing boats became a major industry in 1997. Life today Since 1999 the three main construction projects have been the implementation of the 300,000 ton crude oil terminal in 2002, the 250,000-ton iron ore terminal in 2005 and the deep-water channel. Vessels up to 280 thousand DWT can be accommodated at the port. In 2006, the port handled over 35.5 million tons of general cargo, 182 thousand TEUs in containers and more than 50 million tons of domestic cargoes. *''Port Terminal:'' #Bulk Grain silo terminal #Bulk crude oil silo terminal #300,000-ton oil terminal #250,000-ton iron ore terminal The region also has one of the lowest infant mortality rates, at 1.7 per 1,000 births. Economy Since 1999 the three main construction projects have been the implementation of the 300,000 ton crude oil terminal in 2002, the 250,000-ton iron ore terminal in 2005 and the deep-water channel. Vessels up to 280 thousand DWT can be accommodated at the port. In 2006, the port handled over 35.5 million tons of general cargo, 182 thousand TEUs in containers and more than 50 million tons of domestic cargoes. *''Port Terminal:'' #Bulk Grain silo terminal #Bulk crude oil silo terminal #300,000-ton crude\refined oil terminal #250,000-ton iron ore terminal Several TV, radio, video, footwear, stuffed toys and calculator factories opened in the 1990s. It has been building fishing boats since 1908, it became a major product in 1997. The region also has one of the lowest infant mortality rates, at 1.7 per 1,000 births. While it is subject to all French treaties and obligations, it is de facto part of ASEAN (A better world TL) due to its remote location in relation to France. It is a major source of electrical consumer goods, shipping contracts, shipping insurance and fishing boats. Dependencies #Spratly Islands (A better world TL) #Paracel Islands (A better world TL) Organisations #ASEAN (A better world TL) Category:Kouang-Tchéou-Wan and Shamian Island Category:A better world (TL) Category:France Category:Colonies Category:China